Marriage equality

Posted on August 26th, 2017

In France, same sex marriage has been legal since May 2013. There have been 40,000 gay marriages and despite religious prophesy, the sky hasn’t fallen. More than twenty civilised countries now have marriage equality, so it’s sad to watch the equivocation of Australia’s right-wing government. First they refused to allow a conscience vote in parliament, knowing that some government members would vote yes. Under pressure from Christian hard-liners, their next ploy was to promise a plebiscite, to delay and possibly postpone a decision indefinitely. In the uproar that followed, the government shifted to a non-binding postal survey costing over $150 million. This latest ruse has begun to backfire badly. Younger voters typically vote left and favour marriage equality. To be eligible to join the survey you must be on the electoral roll but many young people have not bothered to register. Now more than 90,000 have signed on in four weeks with more to come. The chances for marriage equality are much improved and the government will face a much harder battle come the next election.
Apart from the ugly politics involved, the debate has predictably unleashed venomous attacks on homosexuals. It is shameful that some Australians feel entitled to deny others the human rights they themselves enjoy.